Gas dispensing apparatus



vatented Mar. 26,1940

PATENT y OFFICE Y 2.195.273 GAs nlsrnNsnvG APPARATUS Roy Blair Everson, Chicago, lll. Application ootober 11, 1934, serial No. '147,817'

v 10 Claims.

This invention relates in general to a dispensing apparatus for absorbable commercial gases. It is an object of this invention to provide a unitary apparatus for the dispensing' and absorption of absorbable commercialvgases.

Another object of` this invention is to. provide a unitary apparatus for the purpose of continuously dispensing and absorbing absorbable commercial gases. It is another object of invention to provide a compact unitary apparatus for the dispensing and absorption of absorbable commercial gases which will be economical of operation and simple to repair. l It is another object of the invention to provide a compact and economical apparatus for the disp ensing and absorption of absorbable commercial gases whichshall be exceedingly safe against the dangers of faulty operation, gas leakage, and carelessness.

It is another object of this invention to provide a unitary apparatus for the dispensing of absorbable commercial gases comprising a combination f of safety features which will prevent .any appre- 2? ciable escape of the gas should the absorption tank be negligently emptied, or should undue pressures be allowedto pass through the apparatus.

Numerous other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationl of the following specification:

In general, .this invention involves the combination oi'vagas reservoir and pressure adjusting mechanism together with agas metering device, a water iiow ejector device, an absorbing tower, and a constant level solution tank, in sucha manner as to .provide for the continuous dispensing and" absorption of the gas ina simple,-

' economical landsafe manner.

AInl the accompanying drawing ferred embodiment of this invention. l

embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-'sectional view of the absorbing tower and constant level 'solution tank.

'rue preferred embodiment of` uur invention shown in the drawing comprises a' cas'naervoir 3. Although many variousugases may be-fdise pensed inthis apparatus, its operation as a chiorine dispenser will be described below, The reservoir 3 thus would contain chlorine; This reservoir 3v is iitted with a reducing-valve and gauge mechanism 5 and 7|, respectively, through which chlorine gas may be drawn oliv in constantiiow at reduced pressure into the' pipe line 3, whence: it passes into the metering mechanismconsisting is shown a Fig. -1 is a perspective view of said preferred.4

of two auxiliary chambers Ill and I4, and a bubbler chamber I 2n In this application no claim is made to the invention or inventions embodied within this metering and "bubbler mechanism, said mechanism being the subject matter of a 5 co-pending application Serial No. 747,815, iiled on the 11th day of October, 1934. A

vThe ow of gas through the metering device is maintained by the metering device at a constant measured quantity, and passes therefrom l0 into the pipe line Il, whichconnects. with an 'ejector mechanism I1. 'I'he ejector mechanism is connected also to a gauge I9, and through the valve I5 to the main water supply line I6. The ejector mechanism I1 empties into the absorption I6' tower 20, which extends downwardly to a point in and near the bottom of' the. solution tank 26. This absorption tower 2li is -open at'its bottom.- The solution tank is provided with a float ball 2l, and constant level valve 25, which valve 251s con- 2.0 nectedthrough the pipe line 23 and the valve 2l lto the main water line I6. The solution tank is furthermore provided with an overow pipe '33 opening into the solution tank at.3|. `The solution tank isalso provided with a draw-off line 31 2.- which leads through the valve 39 into the pipe line Il, said pip'e line Il leading to the point of application. lThe draw-off line 31 extends into the solution tank 26, and terminates in an L- shaped connection to a short vertical pipe 35, 30' said vertical pipe 36 extending upwardly through the bottom opening in the absorbing tower 20 fora short distance, and being opened at its upper end. The upper end of the pipe A is so located d as to be substantially below the level of liquid 3.o in the solution tank 26, this level being indicated at, The upper end. oi' the pipe35, however, is

substantially above the point 43 of the absorbing tower. At this point 43 in the absorbing tower 2|,ja short nipple is inserted on to which is iitted 4-0 4a pipe elbow M, which in turn, leads into the upwardly extending vent pipe 45, which leads to the outer atmosphere.l

In operation-.the reducing valve 5 is openedv l siiiciently to permit the desired vflow of gas 45 through l.. The gas vilows through the metering device'. lling the auxiliary chamber AIl, and'pulsating through the ibubbler mech-- anism' I2, thence lling the auxiliary chamber .H and owing outward into thel pipe II. Meanwhile, the main waterline valve I3 has been opened to permit the desired flow ofwater from the,A main line. 'I'he valve II is then opened sufiiciently' to allow a now of water into the ejector .'I'I. The ejector mechanism I1 hasta a restricted passageway through its interior, sometimes known as a Venturi constriction. The pipe I8 leads oil' the ejector below the narrowest point of the constriction so that when water flows through the constriction, the change of velocity of that flow exerts a vacuum onl the arm I8 of the ejector. The ow of water through valve I5 is, therefore, adjusted to such a speed as will pull a desired vacuum. Since the vacuum is proportional to the speed of the water coming through the valve I5, the gauge I9 by registering that speed will indicate the amount lof this vacuum on the arm I8. Since the arm I8 of the injector Il is connected to the inflow pipe Il,

the absorbable gas is drawn through the pipe II into the injector mechanism I1, and expelled together with the iiow of water through the injector Il into the absorption tower 20. A certain amount of absorption of gas in the water takes place inside the injector mechanism itself. If,

however, comparatively large amounts of gas are desired, it will be clear that this absorption is inadequate for the purpose. Therefore, the gas entering the absorption chamber 20 will be further absorbed in the water coming through the injector mechanism vII by the operation of this absorption tower. If relatively small amounts of gas are used, the absorption tower will operate satisfactorily without the use of anything more than the cylindrical surface of its walls. If, however, it isl desired to increase the capacity of the apparatus, the absorption tower may be lled with coke blocks or other chemically inert materials, over which the downwardly owing water will pass. The amount of effective absorption surface will thereby'be substantially increased and permit more rapid absorption, or absorption of greater amounts of gas. The gas saturated liquor flows out of the opened bottom end of the absorbing tower into the solution tank 26. Since the solution tank is provided with a constant level apparatus, admitting water lthrough the pipe 23 and the constant level valve 25, a xed volume of water may be continuously maintained in the solution tank. By adjusting the rate of flow of gas and the rate of now of ywater through the injecting mechanism together with an appropriate adjustment of the inflow of water into the solution tank, it is possible to provide a continuous supply of gas-treated solution of prede-- termined concentration to the point of application through the draw-oif line 31.

The above apparatus is adapted to bc used in connectionwith various absorbable gases, such as chlorine or ammonia. It may be seen that any of these gases, if allowed to escape uncontrolled through carelessness or failure of the apparatus, might result in serious harm to surrounding equipment, or even to human beings in proximity thereto. Thus, our apparatus has been provided with anumber of simple but absolutely effective safety features. 'Ihe bubbler mechanism itself involves a number of safety features which are described lin the co-pending application above referred to. An overow pipe 33 is provided, which notl only serves to maintain constant level inthe absorption mechanism and solution tank, but prevents any undue overflow in case the outward flow through the valve 39 is obstructed. Furthermore, if the operator, in shutting down the apparatus, neglects to shut off the valve 33, the solution in the tank 26 will run out through the pipe 35 and the pipe 31, and the level of solution in the tank will drop, but since .the tube 35Aextends upwardly into the absorbingy may be made.

tower, the level will never drop below the mouth o1' this tube, which is, of course, above the level of the opening at the bottom of the absorbing tower. Therefore, a water seal will be maintained in the solution tank, and any gas which tends to remain in the' absorbing tower will not escape into the room by passing upward through the top of the solution' tank 26. If, for any reason; the gas pressure' in the absorber will be built up, thereby forcing the level of liquid inside the absorber downwardly, the rising level of liquid outside the absorber in the solution tank v2li would be accommodated by the overow pipe protect the apparatus, for instance, from the negligent failure to shut off the gas supply when shutting down the device.

The above description sets forth the operation of thevdevice as used in the preparation of a chlorine water treating solution, but it will be seen that various modifications of my invention For instance, by super-imposing upon this device a soda-liquor tank, and allowing soda-liquor to be fed therefrom into the solution tank either alone or together with raw water, it

' will be possible to prepare solutions of sodium hypochlorite, usingchlorine as the incoming gas, It is also possible to place soda blocks in the solu'. tion tank to achieve this purpose. It will also be possible to prepare solutions of ammonium hydroxide by using ammonia instead of chlorine in the above described apparatus. Furthermore, it would even be possible, if desirable, to prepare solutions of ammoniated brine by combining va brine solution tank with the apparatus, as above described.

It will be understood that the foregoing description discloses merely a preferred embodiment of this invention, and that this invention may be practiced by the substitution of other equivalents for the elements abovedisclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be s ecured by Letters Patent is:

r1. In a gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing means comprising a tower, means connected to said tower for introducing therein a constant controlled flow of absorbing liquid, means for introducing the gas into said absorbing tower in a continuous now, said absorbing tower having interior surfaces over which the inflowing liquid and the inflowing gas pass downwardly,

`said absorbing tower being open at its bottom,

A when the liquid seal drops in the absorbing tower.

2.- In a gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing tower, means for introducing absorbing liquid and absorbable gas at the top ofthe tower into intimate physical contact ,therewithim said abalarms sorbing tower being open at the bottom, means disposed at the bottom of said absorbing tower to maintain a normal liquid level around the outside of said absorbing tower and inside thereof appreciably upward into said absorbing tower, means for drawing oi the gas-containing liquid from the absorbing tower, said means being inserted lupwardly through the open bottomof said absorbing tower, and having its mouth at a dis- I tance substantially above the bottom end of said absorbing tower and below said normal liquid level. i

below said normal liquid level, and also below the level of the opening into the draw-off means.

4. In a gas dispensing apparatus, means for indicating a flow of gas from a source of supply in combination with an absorbing tower, means associated withl said absorbing tower for continuouslyintroducing liquid into said absorbing tower, said last named means being adapted to draw off the gas from the flow indicating meansv simultaneously with the introduction of liquid into the absorbing tower whereby torintroduce into the absorbing tower: a stream of liquid and gas intimately intermixed, and a solution tank, said absorbing tower being in communication with said solution tank, means to add an additional ow offresh absorbing Water into said tank, means associated with said solution tank for maintaining avconstantdiluting liquid level in said solution tank, and meansfor drawing off the treated liquid lfrom said device.

5.l In a` gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing `means'comprising al tower, means connected to said tower for introducing therein a constant controlled iiow of absorbing liquid, means for introducing the gas into said absorbing tower in a continuous iiow, said absorbing tower having interior surfaces over which the iniiowing liquid and the iniiowing gas pass, said absorbing tower having an opening adjacent to its bottom, means at the bottom of said absorbing tower forming a,

liquid seal across said opening Aof said absorbing vtowerv whereby any unabsorbed free gas in the absorbing tower will not escape therethrough, and vent means connected to said absorbing tower below the normal level of the liquid seal in the absorbing -tower'whereby said vent means will be sealed and inoperative duringnormal operation of the absorbing tower but will operate to discharge free gas from the absorbing tower when the liquid seal 'drops in the absorbing tower.

6. In a gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing tower, means for introducing absorbing liquid and absorbable gas at the top of the tower into intimate physical contact therewithin, said absorbing tower having a discharge opening adjacent the bottom, means disposedV adjacent to the bottom of said absorbing tower to maintain a normal liquid level around the outside ot said ing and having a normal liquid level thereaboveW absorbing tower to a height suflicient to seal said opening and inside thereof upward into said absorbing tower, means for drawing off the gascontaining liquid from the absorbing tower, said means being inserted upwardly through the discharge opening of said absorbing tower, and having its mouth at a distance substantially above the bottom end of said absorbing tower and b low said normal liquid level. l

7. In a gas dispensing-apparatus, an absorbing tower, means. for introducing absorbing liquid and absorbable gas into the tower into intimate physical contact therewithin, said absorbing tower having an opening adjacent the bottom thereof, means disposed adjacent the bottom of said absorbing tower to maintain a normal liquid level around the outside of said absorbing tower, and means for drawing the gas containing liquid from the absorbing tower and having its mouth within said absorbing tower above the bottom thereof and below the normal liquid level therein.

8. In a gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing means comprising a tower, means connected to said tower for introducing therein a flow of absorbing liquid and absorbable gas into intimate physical contact within the tower, said absorbing tower having an opening adjacent its bottom,- means at the bottom of said absorbing tower forming a liquid seal across said opening whereby unabsorbed free gas in the absorbing tower will not escape therethrough, means for withdrawing the treated liquid, and vent means connected to said absorbing tower adjacent lthe bottom thereof, but below the normal liquid level of said liquid seal, whereby said vent means will be sealed and inoperative during normal operation of the absorbing tower but will operate to discharge gas when the liquid seal drops in the absorbing tower.

9. In a gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing 40 tower, means for introducing absorbing liquid and absorbable-gas into the tower into intimate physical contact therewithin whereby to permit the absorbing liquid to absorb the gas, said absorbing tower having an opening adjacent the bottom thereof, a 'tank containing a body of said absorbing liquid disposed adjacent the said openwhereby to form a liquid seal for said opening, means to withdraw a treated liquid from within said tower, and means to introduce a portion of the liquid to be withdrawn in the said body of liquid in said tank whereby to maintain a flow normally inwardly of said opening and normally prevent egress o f said gas containing liquid from the tower and into the said body of liquid.

10. In a gas dispensing apparatus, an absorbing tower, means for introducing absorbing liquid and absorbable gas into the towerinto intimate physical contactA therewithin whereby to o0 permit the absorbing liquid to absorb the gas, said absorbing tower having an opening adjacent the bottom thereof, atank containing a body of said absorbing liquid disposed adjacent the said discharge opening and having a normal liquid 55 level thereabove whereby to form a liquid seal for said opening, means for introducing additional absorbing liquid into said tank exteriorly ofthe tower, and discharge means substantially within the tower to withdraw the treated liquid to a point of utilization.

ROY BLAIR EVERSON. 

